


Coffee Shop Dalliance

by AlxSteele



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Artist!Magnus, Booknerd!Alec, Coffee Shops, Fluff, Longing, M/M, Malec, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-30
Updated: 2017-03-30
Packaged: 2018-10-12 20:29:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,967
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10498893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlxSteele/pseuds/AlxSteele
Summary: Everyone who worked at and frequented J&L Coffee knew two things for sure. The first was that Simon under no circumstances should be allowed anywhere near the expensive coffee machines unless they wanted to destroy the coffee shop. The second was that the beautiful glittery man that sat in the front corner of the shop every day sketching and the dark-haired boy who sat in the back corner reading (and happened to be Isabelle the barista’s brother) were made for each other.Also known as: the one where Magnus and Alec have been pining over each other across a crowded coffee shop for eight months and Isabelle is tired of it.





	

**Author's Note:**

> This is for my dear Maud, happy birthday! I hope you like this, it's pure fluff - I promise! <3  
> Shout out to Domenica who encouraged me to write a coffee shop au!
> 
> This is un-beta'd btw. All mistakes are my own. XD
> 
> This fic has been translated into Russian if you're interested: https://ficbook.net/readfic/5755139

Everyone who worked at and frequented J&L Coffee knew two things for sure. The first was that Simon under no circumstances should be allowed anywhere near the expensive coffee machines unless they wanted to destroy the coffee shop. The second was that the beautiful glittery man that sat in the front corner of the shop every day sketching, and the dark-haired boy who sat in the back corner reading (and happened to be Isabelle the barista’s brother), were made for each other.

This became obvious soon after J&L Coffee opened. They had an adorable, bumbling meet cute. Their coffees constantly got mixed up (which definitely wasn’t Simon’s fault and definitely was done by Isabelle on purpose). They both sat for hours, stealing glances at each other. And, through various snooping methods, the three young baristas (Izzy, Simon, and Clary) had come to the conclusion that they were secretly madly in love.

The only problem was that, after eight months, neither had made a single move.

Clearly, it was time to intervene.

***

The first time Alec saw him, the most beautiful man he’d ever seen, had been on Isabelle’s first day of work at the new coffee shop downtown. J&L Coffee (standing for Jocelyn and Luke’s) was a small family owned place; the atmosphere cool and casual. Books lined the walls, cozy miss-matched chairs sat at the tables and they had the best muffins in New York. That first day, Alec had made a fool out of himself — something that wasn’t entirely unusual.

That day, Alec had stopped by after getting out of class, intending to sit quietly in the corner until Isabelle got off. He hated Isabelle riding the subway home alone even knowing she could easily protect herself.

“Alec!” Isabelle called as soon as he walked in, waving at him from behind the counter. Her hair in a messy ponytail, a dark green apron tied around her waist. She leaned against the counter as he carefully made his way toward her. The coffee shop was busy that day, only a few empty tables in the place. “What can I get you, big brother?”

Alec rolled his eyes, nodding to Clary and Simon who were making themselves busy while Izzy chatted with customers. Alec ordered a plain black coffee, talking idly with Izzy as she made it. The door jingled as another customer came in, Alec’s eyes automatically passing over them before quickly returning.

He had dark hair, spiked up with a splash of pink on the ends. Bronzed skin, and dark lined eyes. Alec’s gaze had wandered up and down him multiple times, unable to look away as he approached the counter. He wore a dark blue shimmering shirt with a plunging neckline that revealed enough tanned skin for Alec’s brain to short-circuit, staring at the necklaces hanging around his neck. He drummed his fingers on the counter, looking up at the menu and Alec noticed his nails were painted a deep purple, rings adorning nearly every finger.

“Earth to Alec,” Isabelle called, sliding his coffee to him.

Suddenly shaken out of his stupor, Alec turned to her quickly, grabbing his coffee and rushing to a table in the corner before the beautiful man realized he’d been staring. Only Alec wasn’t paying enough attention. Carefully avoiding looking at the beautiful man, he didn’t see him turn, moving to wait for his coffee, leading Alec to charge straight into him.

He reached out quickly, dropping his coffee and spilling it all over both their shoes in the process but managing to grab the man’s arms so he didn’t fall over.

“Shit. I — I’m so, so sorry,” he stuttered and then he looked up, gaze met not with glaring eyes and anger but the most breath-taking smile, eyes bright — a deep brown — shining down at him.

Now, Alec shook his head, turning back to his book. That was months ago, he'd barely said a word to the beautiful man since even though he spent an hour nearly every day, sneaking looks at him across the coffee shop. Isabelle still worked there and while Alec had graduated college with his degree in English and literature and started working part-time for their parents, he still managed to stop by every night Isabelle worked to walk home with her. Of course, with the hope of seeing the beautiful man again.

Over the last few months, Alec had told himself again and again that one day he’d get up the courage to talk to him but it hadn’t happened yet. It was…special, this thing they had. It was definitely something, which Alec knew because it’d been eight months and in that time he’d collected dozens of little drawings left for him at the coffee shop and the beautiful man that sat on the opposite side always had a sketchbook and pencil.

Whenever Alec would get up to get a refill or go to the bathroom or just to go talk to Isabelle during a lull, he’d come back — having never seen the other man move — to find a sketch waiting for him. Signed with a simple, unmistakable small purple flower in the corner along with the name _Magnus_. The first time one had appeared, a small sketch of a beautifully detailed mechanical heart, his heart had stopped, breath stuttering. He’d looked up, around the small coffee shop and caught his eye, the beautiful man — Magnus, Alec had realized — he’d smiled this small, teasing smile before turning back to his sketchbook.

Ever since then, every time Alec entered the coffee shop, he’d feel this little thrill go through him at the possibility of another sketch. He couldn’t remember when he realized he should reciprocate. He couldn’t draw but he could write. His perchance for poetry wasn’t something he shared with many, he wasn’t even sure what he left for Magnus could be called poetry, just a line or two, here and there. He’d been terrified the first time, nearly leaving it unsigned before adding _Alec_ to the very bottom corner. He’d worried for days after that he’d been too forward. Magnus would know, wouldn’t he? That Alec was talking about him. That Alec found him to be…stuningly beautiful and endlessly fascinating. A few days later, another sketch arrived, this one of a small cat. In the corner, along with the flower and his name, it said _thank you._

And so it’d continued for months. Alec wasn’t sure if it was pathetic, the fact that he knew the exact day it’d been exactly eight months since they “met”. It was easy, though, it was Isabelle’s eight month anniversary working at the coffee shop. Really, that was the only reason he knew. Just like walking Isabelle home was the only reason he still came to the coffee shop every day. That and the muffins. Not the heart-stopping, gorgeous man who sat in the corner, by the window, sketching things Alec somehow knew no else saw the same way he did.

So Alec knew they had...something. He just had no idea what it was.

Only once in a while did Alec let himself indulge in fantasies, of finally talking to Magnus, of asking him on a date. He didn’t want to ruin this. He was content with what they had, even if it wasn’t much of anything at the end of the day.

***

It started out as a game of sorts. Magnus had noticed him that first day, of course, this shockingly beautiful man who blushed and stuttered when he bumped into Magnus. Magnus had lost his breath, meeting the other man’s eyes. And then he’d watched him from across the coffee shop, debating doing his normal, going up and blatantly flirting. But something had held him back and instead, that first day, he’d sat with his sketchbook and lost himself in the bustle of the coffee shop.

Magnus’ favorite thing to sketch at the coffee shop, when he took time to just relax and decompress after an exhausting day at the studio designing, was Alec. Ever since Magnus first saw him, he was struck with the desire to sketch the tall, stunning man. He'd done it that first day and most days since.

As the days passed and they both kept going to the coffee shop at the same time, as the barista – Sherman? Sherry? Samuel? Magnus didn’t know his name – continually mixed up their orders and they exchanged a few words here and there, Magnus continued sketching the other man. Sometimes he’d change focus to someone else in the coffee shop but he always returned to the dark-haired man.

Then, one day, he realized, the other man looked at Magnus as much as Magus stared at him. So it was just a game at first, he’d noticed the man’s tendency to blush if Magnus caught him looking and he wondered what he’d do if Magnus left him a drawing.

It started out as beautiful things. He thought it might be a little too much to leave him pictures of himself, Magnus might’ve been infatuated with someone whose name he didn’t know back then but he wasn’t a stalker.

So it started out as things nearly as beautiful as the messy, dark haired man. Exotic flowers, mostly. Then it was whatever Magnus felt like, staring over at him. As the days and months passed, Magnus didn’t think that much about the coffee shop and the man he liked to sketch there it was just…a normal part of his day. Of course, there had been times he was tempted to go up and talk to him, especially when he’d put his book down and move to the counter to talk to the baristas, one of which was clearly related to him. Where he'd laugh and smile.

Still, outside the coffee shop, it faded into the background and he never talked to him because whatever this weird thing was, trading looks back and forth, he didn’t want to mess it up. The truth was, when Magnus had a down day — after Camille broke up with him or just when things weren’t going how he wanted them to — knowing he could go to the coffee shop and trade looks back and forth with a handsome man... Well, it gave him something to look forward to.

And then he started leaving things for Magnus. The first time, Magnus almost missed it. He’d only just gotten to the coffee shop, peering around for the dark-haired man, not knowing his name back then, only to deflate when he realized he wasn't there. He’d ordered coffee and a muffin before retreating to his table, the same table he sat at every day. Only that day, a small slip of paper waited on the edge of the table. He only saw it when he nearly knocked it off. A jolt had gone through his fingers, something telling him it was left for him. He’d glanced over his shoulder to see the dark-haired man suddenly sitting at his normal table, face hidden behind a book — Magnus cursed that, it was hard to sketch him when he was reading all the time. Slipping into his seat, he’d slowly unfolded the paper. His heart had stopped as he read over the lines again and again. Poetry. For him. And a name. _Alec._

Since then, their little ritual had been cemented.

Now, eight months later, Magnus sat near the window, in his usual seat, staring across the coffee shop to where Alec was once again hiding behind a book. Magnus wondered what he did every day, wondered how often he hid behind books, wondered what else he loved, what he disliked, what kind of coffee he drank. Eventually, Alec shifted, resting the book on the table, eyes downcast to continue reading but making it possible for Magnus to see his face. Maybe Magnus was a bit of a stalker; he loved watching Alec read like this, seeing a frown or smile cross his face, wondering what part of the book he was on. If it was something Magnus had already read, he’d try to figure out where in the book Alec was. If he hadn’t read it, he’d write down the name of the book to look up later.

It was crazy, he thought, watching Alec’s brow furrow, that months and months ago this beautiful man had bumped into Magnus for the first time and Magnus hadn’t once tried to flirt with him. And why not? Clearly there was something there, something that kept him coming back to this place nearly every day. Something besides the amazing muffins.

He allowed himself one more moment to consider Alec, before turning back to his sketch.

“You could just ask him out, you know?”

Magnus looked up slowly, finding Isabelle leaning against his table. He’d gotten to know the staff of J&L over the last eight months, connecting with Isabelle over fashion, joining in on making fun of Simon, and bonding over art with Clary. But he’d always made sure to never broach the subject of Alec with any of them, well aware of the fact that he was Isabelle’s brother and friends with the other two.

“Hmm?” he asked, casually flipping to a new page of his sketchbook, away from the half-finished portrait of Alec.

Isabelle sighed, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. Her eyes boring into his. “He’d say yes, I know he would.”

Magnus couldn’t help it, looking up and peering around Isabelle to where Alec was now smiling faintly down at his book. By now Magnus knew Alec could slip fully into a good book, barely noticing anything going on around him. Just a few weeks before he’d missed a whole dramatic scene as some woman found out her boyfriend was cheating on her and preceded to break up with him in the middle of the coffee shop.

Magnus shook his head, turning back to Isabelle. “I assure you, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Isabelle glared, sighing. “Fine. Be unhappy, see if I care.”

Magnus frowned before returning to his sketching.

***

“Come on, Alec! Just talk to him, you know you wanna.”

Alec rolled his eyes. “Let it go, Isabelle,” he murmured, staring around the coffee shop uneasily, eyeing those close enough to hear their conversation.

“Seriously, Alec? Anyone who comes in here more than once a month can see what’s going on,” Isabelle said, banging her hand dramatically on the table.

Alec shifted uncomfortably. “What are you talking about?”

Izzy rolled her eyes. “Everyone in here knows you want to get in each other’s pants,” she said abruptly.

“I — what? He… No — that’s — that…we haven’t even talked,” Alec stuttered, straightening up in his seat, reaching for the iced tea Isabelle had put before him. “I— you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Izzy gave him this knowing look, a look Alec had long since learned to hate. “Just talk to him Alec, everyone is rooting for you guys but someone has to make the first move.”

Isabelle patted his hand before moving off, behind the counter.

Alec shook his head, breathing out deeply. So he had some kind of weird back and forth with a beautiful man in a coffee shop… That was all it was. It wasn’t…anything really. He probably didn’t even like Alec.

“He probably doesn’t even like me,” Alec said, voice low as he leaned against the counter during the middle of a lull. He liked to spend several hours out of his weekend at the coffee shop — not hoping to see Magnus, just because it was a good place to relax and read, Alec’s favorite things.

Isabelle looked up, rolling her eyes. But it was Clary that answered, passing suddenly. “If he didn’t like you, he wouldn’t keep leaving you drawings.”

Alec sighed. He thought the same thing again and again when trying to get up the courage to actually talk to Magnus.

“What are you afraid of?” Isabelle asked.

Everything, Alec thought. Get rejected. Ruining whatever this was. Despite having a few short-lived relationships and casual dates, one night stands even, Alec hadn’t ever had something he considered as serious and long term as this little…coffee shop dalliance. He didn’t want to ruin it. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be anything more than two strangers connecting across a crowded room.

He could live with that.

Probably.

***

Enough, Magnus thought that morning when his first thought went straight to the coffee shop and a certain dark haired man he hoped to gawk at while there. What was he doing? He’d never moved so slow in a relationship before. Not that this could even be considered a relationship. But Alec was definitely someone Magnus wanted to go out with, get to know, see if something was there. And Magnus wasn’t a patient person. He’d been known to ask someone out within minutes of meeting them and now _, eight months?_  Pathetic.

He glared at his reflection while getting ready. No more. Today, he’d go and sit next to Alec. Today, he’d ask him out. Finally find out if his name was short for something. If he loved mysteries as much as Magnus. If he enjoyed that book he was reading last week, that had him laughing out loud.

He’d find out if Alec’s lips were as soft as they looked.

 _God_ , he thought, staring at his reflection. _You’re a goner. When did that happen?_

***

Alec had a plan, he was going to do it. For real this time. It was easy. He didn’t even have to say anything. He’d spent hours the night before, writing the perfect little poem and down where he usually signed his name, he added his phone number.

It really shouldn’t be this big of a deal, Alec thought. It was just his number. And it was to someone he’d been sharing his innermost thoughts with for months. Never before had he let anyone read his poems yet he’d been writing them, little bits and pieces here and there, leaving them for Magnus, trusting Magnus with them.

He could do this, he told himself, stilling his shaking hands as he took his seat. He would do this. He would.

***

Magnus was about to do it — really, he was. He’d finished his first cup of coffee, put the final touches on a new sketch of Alec, this of him with his head hidden a book. And he was going to stand up, march over there, and sit across from him. From there, he’d let his natural charisma take over, charm Alec out of his mind and ask him to dinner.

Only, just as he was standing to go over there, his phone rang.

Glancing at it idly, Magnus found Tessa’s name. He couldn’t very well ignore his partner in his fashion design business. Sighing, he grabbed the phone, heading outside with a nod at Simon to watch his stuff, not wanting to disturb anyone.

***

Now is your chance, Alec told himself, staring at the abandoned table and then Magnus’ back through the window as he paced along the sidewalk.

It wasn’t a big deal, he told himself again, just do it.

Alec flipped idly through his book, chest growing tight, breath coming faster. He was being stupid, he knew. It wasn’t a big deal. This was perfect. If Magnus wasn’t interested, he could just ignore Alec’s number. Alec could avoid being embarrassed. It was a full proof plan.

His hand burned where it touched the perfectly folded piece of paper _. Do it_ , he told himself firmly.

Alec jumped up from his seat so quickly it startled the people sitting a few tables over. Everyone looked up, peering at him curiously. Cheeks flushing, Alec abruptly turned, heading for the counter where Isabelle was smirking knowingly.

“Alec, don’t you dare chicken out,” she said.

Alec shook his head, leaning against the counter. “I’m—”

The door jingled again. Alec glanced over his shoulder, breath hitching at the sight of Magnus. He was too late, he thought with something like disappointment mixed with relief.

***

Magnus saw Alec standing at the counter and groaned internally. Of course, he thought, this disaster had to sneak up on him the day he was finally going to ask Alec out.

In a sudden, horrible mood, Magnus quickly grabbed his things, nodding to Clary as he threw a tip on the table before hurrying out.

Magnus groaned aloud once outside, promising himself he’d ask Alec out tomorrow. He wouldn’t hesitate, wouldn’t give universe time to screw him over again.

***

Alec groaned, hiding his face in his hands.

Isabelle patted his shoulder comfortingly. “You can try again tomorrow,” she said.

Alec groaned again, pushing off the counter. He’d barely managed to get up the courage today, by tomorrow it would’ve fled completely. Alec wasn’t normally so shy, he was just…nervous around handsome men. It had proven to be his downfall more than once. He was so much better at writing than talking. It was easier, you didn’t have to worry about messing up, saying the wrong thing because you could just erase, start again, get it right. That’s why he liked what they had going here. If Alec wrote the wrong thing, he just rewrote it before giving it to Magnus. There was room for error. He was terrified he’d fuck it up if ever given a real chance.

Moving back to his table, Alec passed the last hour of Isabelle’s shift, losing himself in his newest book, grateful for the distraction. It wasn’t until he was following Isabelle out that he noticed it, sitting on Magnus’ table, perfectly untouched.

“He forgot it,” Alec all but whispered, moving to grab the sketchbook left forgotten on Magnus’ table.

“What?” Izzy asked, glancing over. Her eyes widened, a manic smile crossing her face. “This is perfect!” she squealed. “You can give it to him next time you see him, tell him you found it, kept it safe.”

“What’s going on?” Clary asked as she and Simon appeared beside them.

“Alec found his mystery man’s sketchbook. I’m trying to convince him to use it to get in Magnus’ pants,” Isabelle explained.

“Shut up,” Alec mumbled, blushing.

Simon and Clary shared a look before turning to Alec knowingly. “She’s right,” Clary said. “This is a perfect opportunity.”

Alec opened his mouth to protest when a familiar voice called over to them from the back room. “They’re right, Alec,” Jocelyn called. “That man’s infatuated with you, has been for months.”

Alec groaned, stuffing the sketchbook, unopened, into his bag. “Really, you too?”

“And me,” Luke called cheerfully. “We have a bet going, get a move on, would you?”

Alec shook his head, moving toward the door and pushing out into the cold night. It wasn’t until he was home in the apartment he shared with his siblings, locked firmly in his room, that Alec pulled the sketchbook back out.

Pacing around his room, he debated looking in it. On the one hand, snooping was wrong and Alec knew how he would feel if someone found his journal where he wrote his poems and read it without asking. On the other…maybe it had a phone number or something in it. A way to contact Magnus.

Alec debated for hours before returning the book to his bag, unopened. He’d return it tomorrow and talk to Magnus, he told himself firmly. He would not snoop.

***

Magnus was mostly unconcerned with the fact that he lost his sketchbook, it wasn’t the first time it had happened and, besides containing an embarrassingly high number of sketches of Alec, it held nothing important. Besides that, he figured he’d left it at the coffee shop and no doubt one of the baristas’ found it and put it in the back.

Magnus asked about it as soon as he got to the coffee shop after a long night and even longer day at the studio, fixing all that had gone wrong in his absence. Maia, a newer barista, shook her head sadly, shrugging when Magnus asked if anyone had found a sketchbook.

 _Fuck,_ Magnus thought, taking his seat at his table that night. He’d had some good sketches of Alec in there. Oh well.

Pulling his phone out since he hadn’t brought an extra sketchbook, Magnus quickly lost himself to messaging Raphael annoying updates about his life. A few minutes after he’d sat, a shadow suddenly fell over him.

Glancing up, Magnus expected to find Simon or Clary and nearly dropped his phone when he instead found Alec. Magnus’ heart skipped, eyes locking with Alec’s which were breath-taking to put it simply.

“Well, hi there, handsome,” Magnus said without thinking, smiling as Alec’s face flushed.

He waited, head inclined, heart racing as Alec cleared his throat, running a hand through his hair and further messing it up. “Hey,” he finally said. It was one of the only times Magnus had heard his voice, sending shivers down his back. “I — um, I — found this. Yesterday.”

Magnus sat up straight, surprised as Alec slid his sketchbook across the table. Feeling suddenly embarrassed, Magnus ran his fingers over the cover. Looking up from under his lashes, he asked, “Did you look in it?”

Alec shook his head slowly. “I wanted to, but it didn’t seem right.”

Pleasantly surprised, Magnus grinned. And then, before he could talk himself out of it, he pushed the sketchbook back towards Alec. “Look,” he said, eyes twinkling. “If you want.”

***

Alec hesitated, his pulse was racing, he couldn’t feel his heart anymore. He didn’t know how he’d actually gotten here. Before, he’d been sitting at his normal table, hand shaking on his coffee, trying to talk himself into this and suddenly here he was.

Magnus was smiling softly up at him, mouth quirked up, eyes shining. God, he looked good when he was smiling.

It felt surreal, like a dream. Actually talking – well, kind of talking – to Magnus.

Palms sweating, Alec rubbed his hands together, asking, “You want me to look at it?”

Magnus shrugged, leaning back. “Only if you want to.”

Confused but intrigued, Alec grabbed the sketchbook again, eyes locked on Magnus as he slowly opened it. Magnus raised an eyebrow, challenging him. Frowning, Alec glanced down and stopped breathing.

The first page of the sketchbook was…him. Nose buried in a book, features sharp yet softened by Magnus’ careful shading. Frowning, heart crawling up into his throat, Alec turned the page again and again. They were all him. In different positions, sitting at the little table, staring off into the distance. Caught mid-laugh, leaning against the counter. And he looked…beautiful. Somehow.

“That one was hardest,” Magnus commented as Alec sat down across from him suddenly, knees weak. “You don’t smile often. Well, you do, but it’s this small, amused quirk of your lips while reading. The full smile seems to only come when you’re talking to Isabelle.”

Alec shook his head slowly, swallowing dryly as he flipped through pages and pages of sketches, some just a basic outline, some not yet complete and others shockingly detailed, down to his eyebrow scar. Alec touched his scar, staring down at the sketchbook. Magnus was…an amazing artist but…why would he draw Alec so many times?

Looking up, he caught Magnus’ eye. Magnus was frowning slightly, shifting the smallest bit in his seat like he was suddenly nervous. “So?” he finally asked. “Do you like them?”

Alec nodded, swallowing again. “They’re…amazing. But…” he frowned, shaking his head. “Why have you been drawing me?”

***

“Why have you been drawing me?” Alec asked it like he honestly couldn’t in a million years understand why Magnus would do such a thing.

Frowning, Magnus shrugged. Because you're beautiful. Because I like looking at you. Because even when I don't want too, my gaze is drawn to you. Reaching out for the sketchbook, he flipped to a blank page idly. “Who else would I draw?” he finally asked.

Alec didn’t seem to have a response for that.

Magnus hid a smile behind his coffee cup. “I love your poetry,” he finally said.

Alec glanced up, eyes wide. “Oh, it’s not — it’s nothing really—”

Magnus leaned forward, holding a finger up to Alec’s lips, making him fall silent. “Don’t be humble,” he said, swallowing when he realized how easy it would be to kiss Alec. Only after eight months of foreplay, Magnus thought, smirking.

He saw Alec swallow, nodding slowly. "Okay."

This wasn’t exactly how Magnus had seen the day going, it almost felt like a dream, but he wouldn’t let the opportunity pass him. “So I was thinking —”

“Want to go out sometime?”

Magnus froze, grinning as they talked at the same time. Alec’s face turned pink again; Magnus’ heart skipped. “Did you just ask me out?” he asked.

Alec shrugged. “Well, it has been months.”

***

There are two things everyone who works at and frequents J&L Coffee know to be true without a doubt. One, you don’t let Simon near the coffee machines because he _will_ burn the place down by merely touching them. And two, the glittery man that sits near the window in the corner, sketching the dark-haired man who sits across from him, reading, are completely and hopelessly in love. It only takes a glance to figure it out, the way they look up and smile at each other. The way one puts his book down, to gaze adoringly at the other. It only took them eight months to get there but the first day they came in together — and anyone who asked would be told by the dark-haired barista that her brother hadn’t come home the night before — everyone cheered. And the first time they kissed, waiting in line, everyone swooned.

**Author's Note:**

> I swear, the update for Paparazzi is coming but I've been dying to write a coffeeshop au and what better a time to do it than for my beta's birthday!?!?!
> 
> Please do let me know what you thought of this in the comments! Kudos give me life surely as well as coffee does! And you can find me on [Tumblr @imawriteriwrite](http://imawriteriwrite.tumblr.com/) ! 
> 
> Thanks for reading! <3


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